The Sturgeon Moon arrives on August 9th: the ultimate trick to photograph it with your phone and make it look like what you see.

There are nights when the moon appears so spectacular—enormous, brilliant, and almost magical—that many people try to photograph it with their cell phones in the hopes of capturing its beauty. However, the results are often disappointing: the image is blurry and bears no resemblance to what it looks like in person. With the next full moon—the Sturgeon Moon —expected for this Saturday, August 9, a trick has emerged that promises to change that.

Photographer Marcos Arjona ( @arjonaa33 on TikTok ) explains it in a video tutorial where he summarizes the key steps to get a sharp image that is faithful to what is seen with the naked eye, with a method that promises to make the difference between a disappointing photo and a spectacular capture.

According to Arjona, the first thing is place the phone on a tripod or stable surface to avoid any movement. Then, he recommends accessing Expert RAW mode and activating the astrophotography option (available on Samsung models like the S22, S23, S24, and S25, in addition to the Ultra, Fold, and Flip). This option allows for long-exposure photography, which is key to capturing more light and detail.

In his case, he used a Samsung S25, but he clarifies that he already achieved this type of images before with an older model: "You just have to choose a longer shutter speed , which is like saying that the phone takes the photo for longer to capture more light and thus be able to see the stars."

If your Samsung device doesn't have the Expert Raw app installed, you can search for it in the Galaxy Store (not Google Play ). Once downloaded, go to Settings (the four dots in the lower right corner > Settings gear > "Expert RAW Labs") and activate astrophotography mode.

If you don't have a Samsung, you can also try manually adjusting long exposure from your camera app, as long as your device allows it. "This result can be achieved on any phone by taking a long exposure photo," says Arjona.